Rumors for April, 2011
Nationals prospect Yewri Guillen dies from bacterial meningitis
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18-year old Yewri Guillen, who played and lived at the Nationals baseball academy in the Dominican Republic, died Friday morning of bacterial meningitis reports Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.
“Definitely a big loss,” academy administrator Fausto Severino said. “We’re all shocked.”
The team is still investigating the circumstances surrounding Guillen’s death. They have been in touch with other players who live and play at the complex and no one else has reported any health issues.
“All those steps were taken care of and really there’s nothing else to do at this moment,” Nationals head team doctor Wiemi Douoguih said. “The medical staff down south, our trainers, our doctors jumped on it and have really exhausted every possible measure to make sure nothing spreads and that this doesn’t have any further implications.”
Guillen started to feel ill last week and was sent home at his request. Last weekend he was hospitalized and subsequently died Friday morning in the hospital.
“Obviously, a terrible tragedy but I’d like to really applaud the efforts of our medical training staff down south, who identified it and got him treatment as soon as possible,” Douoguih said. “Unfortunately, even with the best treatment the mortality rate is about 20- to 30-percent so it’s really a very virulent and very terrible thing. And very unfortunate but fortunately, going forward, it is a very rare thing. And as unfortunate as it is, I think everything was done, I know everything was done to the letter by our medical and training staff to prevent any further catastrophe.”
Guillen, who was signed in February, was scheduled to play for one of the Nationals minor league affiliates in the United States this summer depending on how he performed at the academy.
Yankees place Phil Hughes on the DL, move Bartolo Colon to the rotation
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The New York Yankees have placed right handed pitcher Phil Hughes on the 15-day Disabled list with a “dead arm” reports Sweeny Murti of Sportsradio 66 WFAN.
Right handed pitcher Bartolo Colon will take Hughes’ spot in the rotation, and right handed pitcher Lance Pendleton will take his spot on the roster.
Hughes has struggled in his first three outings this season. He is 0-1 with a 13.94 ERA and 3 SO in 10.1 innings, and his opponents are hitting .396 against him. According to Aaron Gleeman of NBCSports.com, his velocity hasn’t improved since becoming an issue during Spring Training.
Yesterday against the Orioles, Hughes’ fastball clocked in at a season-low 89.1 MPH. In past seasons, Hughes’ fastball averaged 93.3 MPH.
PRO Rumors is hiring writers for a paid position
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Hello,
PRO Rumors is growing, and we’re looking to add two new writers to the PRO Rumors’ team. This is a paid position. Because you will become a core member of a small team, we’re going to be very selective as to who we want since you’re going to be steering the direction of the PRO Rumors product.
Here are some of the requirements that we are looking for:
- You live and breath Major League Baseball. You have to have a good understanding of what’s going on with the 30 teams. Basic knowledge of how contracts, free-agency, arbitration eligibility, waivers, signings and firings work in the world of baseball is a plus.
- You can write an intelligent and thought provoking article regarding current events in the PRO Rumors’ style and tone.
- Attention to detail and the integrity of the story – spelling and grammar are very important. This also means you’ll have to deal with criticism from other writers on the PRO Rumors staff.
- The ability to adapt to new technology – we have automated many of our tools using our really cool programming skills here. We want your job as a writer to be as easy as possible to find new information. We also want you to suggest innovative ways for PRO Rumors to share information whether it’s through an iPhone app or other technological methods. You’re not just a writer, you’ll be a sports information pioneer.
- Flexibility – you’ll be scheduled to cover certain hours on the weekdays AND weekends.
- Depending on your performance, there will be room for advancement within PRO Rumors.
PRO Rumors is a sports utility that helps fans get the latest rumors, news and relevant statistics for professional baseball. It’s made with love by baseball fans for baseball fans. If you are interested in joining the PRO Rumors’ team and want to be on the cutting edge of sports information technology then please send a resume to jobs@prorumors.com. Thanks!
Allan
jobs@prorumors.com
Lenny Dykstra charged with embezzlement
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Former Major League Baseball player Lenny Dykstra has been charged with embezzling from a bankruptcy estate, according to the Associated Press.
After Dykstra filed for bankruptcy in 2009, the former outfielder for the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies hid, sold or destroyed more than $400,000 worth of items from his $18.5 million mansion in Southern California. At the time, Dykstra claimed he owed more than $31 million and had only $50,000 in assets.
Authorities say that he was arrested on Thursday for an unrelated grand theft investigation and remains jailed without bail. He was charged with embezzlement on Wednesday.
Tim Lincecum donates $25K to the Bryan Stow fund
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Right handed pitcher Tim Lincecum, is donating $25,000 to the Bryan Stow fund according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. Stow is the San Francisco fan who was attacked outside Dodger Stadium on Opening Day.
Lincecum made the announcement yesterday on his Facebook page. His donation will help with Stow’s medical bills and other expenses. The 42-year old was brutally beaten last week after a game with the Los Angeles Dodgers and is still listed in critical condition.
Stow suffered a severe skull fracture and bad bruising to his brain’s frontal lobes and his long recovery process may include issues with memory, thinking ability and personality.
Pirates designate Garrett Olson for assignment
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According to a team announcement, the Pirates have designated left-handed pitcher Garrett Olsen for assignment.
The Pirates claimed Olson off waivers from the Seattle Mariners in mid-March.
In four games with the Pirates this season, the 27-year-old Olson was 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA over four games and 4 1/3 innings pitched.
Injury updates: Mauer, Longoria and Hart
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Here’s a running list of injury updates for several Major league players:
– Yesterday, we learned that Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer was heading to the 15-day Disabled List due to bilateral leg weakness. Today, manager Ron Gardenhire hinted that Mauer’s injury could last longer than 15 days. “I don’t know how long it’s going to be,” he said (via Phil MacKey of 1050ESPN).
– Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria said Thursday that his rehab from a strained left oblique is going so well he is relying on the trainers to keep him from accelerating his schedule, reports Tony Fabrizio of the Tampa Tribune.
Longoria started running arcs in the outfield earlier this week and Wednesday, he started doing some exercises with a medicine ball in a pool for the first time.
“I feel really good,” Longoria said. “This is the point in time where the trainers kind of have to do their job in forcing me to back off of it, but I feel like there is an opportunity to push a little more.”
“Like I said from the beginning, I didn’t feel like it was as bad as it showed (on an MRI). So we’re kind of treating it that way, just doing what I can and trying to keep the progression as slow as they can make me go. But the last couple of days have been real promising.”
– According to George Von Benko of MLB.com, outfielder Corey Hart took batting practice on the field on Thursday at Pittsburgh for the first time.
“That will be nice to see,” said Brewers manager Ron Roenicke. “He’s going to do that for a few days, and then if everything goes well, he’ll be ready to go out on a rehab assignment.”
MLB Agent Casey Close join Excel Sports Management
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In an article by Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal, Major League Baseball player agent Casey Close “has joined the practice of NBA agent Jeff Schwartz as a partner in a deal that will make the firm Schwartz founded, Excel Sports Management, a player across two major sports.”
Among Close’s clients are Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard.
PRO Rumors iPhone app version 4.11 is available
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Hello PRO Rumors fans,
In addition to our awesome Android app version 1.0, we are releasing our award winning iPhone app version 4.11. We spent more time on design and functionality, and we hope you enjoy it.
You can download the iPhone app at http://www.prorumors.com/iphone
Here is what’s new in iPhone app version 4.11:
– UI improvements. We love design and we wanted to give iPhone users the ability to have more space on the home screen to see more rumors and news
– UI improvements on the stats.
– UI improvements on the searching
– Pictures of players
– Ability to added comments via the Disqus API. This means that all comments on PRORumors.com can be seen on the app and vice-versa. So any comment left on the app will be seen on the website.
This app has been designed by baseball fans, for baseball fans, so keep the feedback coming to support@prorumors.com.
Allan
Boston Red Sox to extend contract of Adrian Gonzalez
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The Boston Red Sox and Adrian Gonzalez have agreed to a seven-year, $154 million contract extension, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com. Here’s how the deal breaks down, as reported by Buster Olney of ESPN:
– $6 million signing bonus
– $21 million per year from 2012-2016
– $21.5 million in 2017 and 2018.
– Partial no-trade clause (Can block deals to only two clubs, and the club that acquires him cannot subsequently send him to the Yankees, Ken Rosenthal, FOXSports)
The sides have been negotiating a deal since the Red Sox acquired Gonzalez in December, and sources close to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports first reported on February 17, 2011 that the sides were close to the aforementioned deal. The Red Sox waited until now to officially announce the deal in order to save on the luxury tax owed for having a high payroll.
The deal will pay Gonzalez an average annual value of $22 million per season, and it will likely be used in the negotiations between the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols this winter when he’s a free agent. Gonazalez’s deal exceeds Mark Teixeira’s eight-year, $180 million deal with the New York Yankees, but it’s still not as high as Ryan Howard’s five-year, $125 million extension ($25 million average annual value) that he signed in April with the Philadelphia Phillies. Had the deal exceeded Howard’s, then it would have created more leverage in Pujols’ favor to demand the $30 million per year that he’s reported asking.
